A Detailed Guide to the Cultivation Methods and Precautions for Reishi Mushroom

Reishi mushroom is an extremely precious and rare traditional Chinese medicinal material, and it offers great benefits to the human body. Because reishi mushroom is expensive and rare, its cultivation holds considerable business potential. So what are the cultivation methods and precautions for reishi mushroom?

1. Cultivation methods

1. Choose a suitable cultivation period: In Taizhou, Jiangsu Province, the most suitable cultivation period for reishi mushroom is from April 10 to May 10, and after May 20 the bags are opened one after another for the mushrooms to emerge. June to July every year is the plum rain season, so make sure all bags are opened for mushroom emergence before June 10, so that the reishi fruiting bodies can grow in a high-temperature, high-humidity environment, thereby achieving high and stable yields.

2. The culture substrate must be fresh and dry: The culture substrate for cultivating reishi mushroom must be especially fresh and dry. Fresh substrate is rich in nutrients and contains few contaminating microorganisms, which helps the mycelium germinate and inhibits the growth of contaminating microorganisms.

3. Ventilation and air exchange during the mycelium-running stage: Reishi mushroom is an aerobic fungus, so during the cultivation process, attention must be paid to ventilation and air exchange. When making reishi mushroom logs, it is best to seal the openings with plastic and cotton plugs. For bags sealed with plastic rope, after the mycelium has covered the surface, small holes must be punched at both ends of the bag for ventilation.

4. Reasonable watering during the mushroom emergence stage: During the growth of the reishi fruiting bodies, the air humidity in the reishi mushroom room is required to be 85%-95%. Under suitable ambient temperature conditions, too low humidity will make the reishi fruiting bodies small and thin, or even become rigid and stop growing. In the early stage of fruiting body formation, water management mainly consists of spraying the walls, bed frames, floor, and air space. After the reishi mushroom cap diameter exceeds 3 cm, as the ventilation volume increases, the number of sprayings should be increased to 3-4 times a day, spraying directly onto the reishi mushrooms.

5. It is advisable to use the simulated wild cultivation method: Under the same cultivation conditions, wall-style simulated wild cultivation can increase yield by 20%-30% compared with bag cultivation. This is because in simulated wild cultivation, the soil contains the nutrients needed for reishi mushroom growth, and the soil has good water-holding capacity, which can provide suitable, continuous, and stable moisture conditions for reishi mushroom growth. Moreover, the mycelium extends and grows through the soil and connects into one body, allowing it to exert its overall advantage.

2. Cultivation conditions

Reishi mushroom's nutritional requirements: Reishi mushroom is a saprophytic fungus and has a strong ability to decompose and absorb lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and the like. Sawdust and some crop straws such as cottonseed hulls, wheat bran, rice bran, corncobs, and rice straw can all be used as cultivation materials.

Reishi mushroom's temperature requirements: Reishi mushroom is a high-temperature fungus. The mycelium growth temperature range is 15-40°C, with the most suitable temperature being 22~25°C; the fruiting body development temperature is 22-30°C, with 25~28°C being the most suitable.

Reishi mushroom's humidity requirements: During the mycelium growth stage, the relative air humidity is required to be 60% to 70%; during the fruiting body growth period, the relative air humidity is required to be 85% to 90%.

Reishi mushroom's air requirements: Reishi mushroom is an aerobic fungus, and carbon dioxide has a great influence on fruiting body growth. When the carbon dioxide concentration reaches 0.1%, it promotes stem elongation and inhibits cap growth; when it reaches 0.1%~1%, the fruiting body can still grow but forms branches and antler-like shapes; when it exceeds 1%, fruiting body development is extremely abnormal.

Reishi mushroom's light requirements: Reishi mushroom is very sensitive to light during its growth and development. The mycelium does not like light and grows fastest under dark, lightless conditions; the differentiation and growth of the fruiting body require relatively strong scattered light. At 1500~5000 lux, the stem and cap grow rapidly and become thick and sturdy, and the cap is relatively thick.

3. Precautions

Reishi mushroom is tough in texture and needs to absorb a large amount of lignin and cellulose during growth. When sawdust or cotton hulls are used as the culture medium, because the texture is loose, the lignin in the substrate is easily decomposed by the mycelium, and often after harvesting one to two flushes, the mushroom log disperses and disintegrates. If wood blocks mixed with coarse sawdust are used as the culture medium instead, the same volume contains more lignin, and there are many gaps between the wood blocks, giving good aeration, which is beneficial to reishi mushroom growth, thus achieving high yield and good quality.

For indoor bag cultivation of reishi mushroom, a relatively thick layer of fungal skin easily forms on the surface of the mushroom log, making artificial water replenishment difficult and greatly affecting the yield of the second flush. Changing indoor cultivation to outdoor soil-covered cultivation can better solve the problem of water replenishment for the mushroom log. The mushroom log can absorb water and beneficial trace elements from the soil, making it easy to obtain high and stable yields. In addition, the outdoor light source is evenly distributed, so the reishi mushrooms grown are large, round and regular, and bright in color, and the proportion of first-grade products is clearly higher than indoors.

Mature reishi mushrooms are generally lignified or cutinized, and the stem is tightly connected to the culture medium. Directly breaking off the fruiting body by hand seriously damages the mushroom log, which is unfavorable for the growth of the second flush, and the wound is also easily infected by contaminating microorganisms. Change picking the mushrooms to cutting them, using pruning shears to harvest, so the cut is smooth and the stem base is not damaged. For the second flush, the stem base of the first flush can be used as the primordium to quickly grow mushroom buds, reducing the interval between flushes and shortening the production cycle.

Cultivating reishi mushroom is still rather troublesome. If a grower does not have a certain level of skill, it is best not to grow it.